Wednesday, September 15, 2010

KHIDKI OR WINDOW

The very mention of the word Window as the English translation of Khidki evoked the image of an opening in the wall , with a wooden frame with one or two pallas with glass fixed in between so that one could have the view of the outside world without any fear of wind or storm, as also bask in the warmth of sunshine in the winter months . Khidki, used to be a source of romance blossoming between two young hearts looking wistfully at each other through the windows and in case of lucky ones , often maturing into life long relationship through matrimony.. There are many instances when some daring ( sic ) lover would jump out of the window lest he be caught meeting the beloved chori chori red handed – and breaking his leg in the process.I remember, as youngsters, we used to recite lines like Khidki khuli zulf uri.....without knowing the meaning, much to the annoyance of our elders. Similarly, the lines - Kharak Singh ke kharakne se kharakti hain khidkiyan , khidkiyon ke kharakne se khadakta hai Kharak Singh - were only an exercise in alliteration . There are a number of songs and ghazals finding mention of the word Khidki, like the one in film Padosan- Mere Samne wali Khidki Mein ik chaand ka tukda rehta hai or yeh Khidki jo band rehti hai. Or as in a Ghazal, Khuli hain Khidkian har ghar ki lekin, gali mein jhankta koi nahin hai.. Khidki was not only a passage for light to enter into our rooms but also our lives both literally and metaphorically.But now the mention of Windows transports us straight to the Computer world where Windows denotes user friendly interface , making things easier. We have been introduced to different versions of Windows e.g. Windows, 95, 97, 98, 2000, 2003, 2007, XP, Vista and now, Windows 7, denoting various configurations and specifications which terms are all Greek to a layman like me and at the same time sound so unromantic